Grinding
Grinding is a precision finishing process for improving the surface finish, size, and shape of the part with very tight tolerances. Often required in medical and food processing to reduce the possibility of areas for microbes or bacteria to grow, it completes parts in fluid applications such as nozzles, injectors, or fittings, ensuring the smooth flow of the liquid or gas.
A typical range of Average Surface Roughness (Ra) of 8-16 µ (micron) inches can be achieved through a grinding process. You would need a microscope to see the surface difference in this roughness range; however, this finish would feel very smooth to the touch. Dimensional grinding provides control of dimensions of +/- 0.0001 inches and the part’s concentricity, runout, or cylindricity within 0.0002 inches. This is finer than the diameter of human hair. These tight tolerances are typically specified for the precision assembly of parts or precision control of flow through a nozzle.
MacFab’s finishing capability includes two different methods:
- Surface grinding for precision flat plates
- Inner Diameter (ID) honing of a hole completed in Sunnen honing machines